These violent episodes, seemingly so out of place, were in fact reflective of the numerous divisions within medieval monastic communities. During the twelfth century there was a growing divide between convents and their abbots, and by Jocelin’s day they formed distinct parties, with clearly defined properties and rights which were a common cause of conflict. In an attempt to defend their interests against the near-absolute power of the abbot, the convent frequently sought to strengthen their position by presenting a unified front, a point stressed repeatedly by Jocelin in his chronicle. At other times, though, the convent divided into numerous factions: at various points in his chronicle, Jocelin recorded tensions between the cloister-monks and obedientiaries (monks with special responsibilities around the monastery), the learned and unlearned monks, the older and the younger monks, and the local monks and those who originated elsewhere. It was these divisions that Samson was able to exploit when he eventually returned to the abbey after his flight, splitting the convent and undermining its ability to band together against him. 

In my article, I explore this dynamic further, and argue that it played a fundamental role in shaping monastic experiences during the long twelfth century by mediating relationships within the community. The convent’s various factions moved between antagonism and discordant harmony, fighting among themselves one moment and uniting to fend off an abbot’s advances the next; such unity strengthened the convent's position, but a cunning abbot could exploit the divisions in the community to ensure his preferred outcome in a dispute. Power and identity within the community were not static, but were constantly being re-negotiated through conflicts such as these. One thing was certain, though – the monastic life was far from peaceful!